54th Venice Biennale – artists announced

The list of artists for the main exhibition of the 54th Venice Biennale, curated by Parkett editor Bice Curiger and titled ‘ILLUMInations‘ (what is it with biennial titles and irregular punctuation?), has been announced. Curiger’s curatorial statement claims that the exhibition ‘emphasizes the intuitive insight and the illumination of thought that is fostered by an encounter with art and its ability to sharpen the tools of perception’, noting that its title nods both to Rimbaud’s ‘Illuminations’ and to Walter Benjamin’s ‘Profane Illuminations’.

Bice Curiger, 2011

Aside from the familiar nebulousness of the curatorial statement, what does ‘ILLUMInations’ hold in store? Well a quick glance at the names below reveals a remarkably young list, with more than half of the 82 artists under the age of 40. In the show’s favour, around 40% of the artists are women (better than most recent biennials), though the list is disappointingly western-centric. The older generation seems well-selected, with some welcome inclusions such as overlooked Italian photographer Luigi Ghirri, Sturtevant, Jack Goldstein (both of whom have been the subject of recent retrospectives), the late Sigmar Polke, Guy de Cointet, Gianni Colombo and Jeanne Natalie Wintsch. Though for some reason not included on the official artist list below, Tintoretto is apparently also included in the main show.

Curiger also mentions that four artists – Monika Sosnowska, Franz West, Song Dong and Oscar Tuazon – have been invited to create ‘parapavilions’ to house the other artists’ work.

Outside of the main show, this year’s Biennale will include a record-breaking 87 national pavilions (ten more than in 2009). Countries participating for the first time include Andorra, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Haiti. Other countries will be participating after a long period of absence: India (1982), Congo (1968), Iraq (1990), Zimbabwe (1990), South Africa (1995), Costa Rica (1993) and Cuba (1995).

ARTIST LIST

Giorgio Andreotta Calò
Born in Venice, Italy, 1979
Lives and works in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Meris Angioletti
Born in Bergamo, Italy, 1977
Lives and works in Paris, France

Nairy Baghramian
Born in Isfhan, Iran, 1971
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Yto Barrada
Born in Paris, France, 1971
Lives and works in Tangeri, Morocco

Elisabetta Benassi
Born in Rome, Italy, 1966
Lives and works in Rome, Italy

Birdhead
Founded in 2004
Lives and works in Shanghai, China
Birdhead are:
Song Tao
Born in Shanghai, China, 1979
Ji Weiyu
Born in Shanghai, China, 1980

Monica Bonvicini
Born in Venice, Italy, 1965
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Mohamed Bourouissa
Born in Blida, Algeria, 1978
Lives and works in Paris, France

Carol Bove
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, 1971
Lives and works in New York, USA

Gerard Byrne
Born in Dublin, Ireland, 1969
Lives and works in Dublin, Ireland

Mariana Castillo Deball
Born in Mexico City, Mexico, 1975
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany and Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Gianni Colombo
Born in Milan, Italy, 1937
Died in 1993

Martin Creed
Born in Wakefield, Great Britain, 1968
Lives and works in London, UK

DAS INSTITUT and Kerstin Brätsch
DAS INSTITUT (Kerstin Brätsch and Adele Röder) Import/Export since 2007
Live and work in New York, USA and Berlin, Germany

Guy de Cointet
Born in Paris, France, 1934
Died in 1983

Gintaras Didžiapetris
Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, 1985
Lives and works in Vilnius, Lithuania

Song Dong
Born in Beijing, China, 1966
Lives and works in Beijing, China

Trisha Donnelly
Born in San Francisco, USA, 1974
Lives and works in San Francisco, USA

Shannon Ebner
Born in Englewood, USA, 1971
Lives and works in Los Angeles, USA

Latífa Echakhch
Born in El Khnansa, Morocco, 1974
Lives and works in Martigny, Switzerland

Ida Ekblad
Born in Oslo, Norway, 1980
Lives and works in Oslo, Norway

Omer Fast
Born in Jerusalem, Israel, 1972
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Urs Fischer
Born in Zurich, Switzerland, 1973
Lives and works in New York, USA

Peter Fischli & David Weiss
Peter Fischli, born in Zurich, Switzerland, 1952
David Weiss, born in Zurich, Switzerland, 1946
Live and work in Zurich, Switzerland

Llyn Foulkes
Born in Yakima, Washington, USA, 1934
Lives and works in Los Angeles, USA

Luca Francesconi
Born in Mantova, Italy, 1979
Lives and works in Milan, Italy and Paris, France

Katharina Fritsch
Born in Essen, Germany, 1956
Lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany

Cyprien Gaillard
Born in Paris, France, 1980
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Dani Gal
Born in Jerusalem, Israel, 1975
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Ryan Gander
Born in Chester, Great Britain, 1976
Lives and works in London and Suffolk, UK

Gedewon
Born in Bagemdir, Ethiopia, 1939
Died in Därtähal, Ethiopia, 1995

GELITIN
Founded in 1993
Lives and works in Wien, Austria
Gelitin are:
Wolfgang Gantner
Born in Mistelbach, Austria, 1970
Ali Janka
Born in Salzburg, Austria, 1971
Florian Reither
Born in St. Pölten, Austria, 1967
Tobias Urban
Born in Munich, Germany, 1967

Luigi Ghirri
Born in Scandiano, Italy, 1943
Died in Roncocesi, Italy, 1992

David Goldblatt
Born in Randfontein, South Africa, 1930
Lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa

Jack Goldstein
Born in Montreal, Canada, 1945
Died in San Bernardino, USA, 2003

Loris Gréaud
Born in Eaubonne, France, 1979
Lives and works in Paris, France

Nicholas Hlobo
Born in Capetown, South Africa, 1975
Lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa

Karl Holmqvist
Born in Västerâs, Sweden, 1964
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Bruno Jakob
Born in Switzerland, 1954
Lives and works in New York, USA

Norma Jeane
Born in Los Angeles, USA, August 5th, 1962
Lives and works everywhere

Rashid Johnson
Born in Chicago, USA, 1977
Lives and works in New York, USA

Annette Kelm
Born in Stuttgart, Germany, 1975
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Gabriel Kuri
Born in Mexico City, Mexico, 1970
Lives and works in Brussels, Belgium and Mexico City, Mexico

Elad Lassry
Born in Tel-Aviv, Israel, 1977
Lives and works in Los Angeles, USA

Klara Lidén
Born in Stockholm, Sweden, 1979
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Christian Marclay
Born in San Rafael, USA, 1955
Lives and works in London, UK and New York, USA

Fabian Marti
Born in Fribourg, Switzerland, 1979
Lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland

Nathaniel Mellors
Born in Doncaster, Great Britain, 1974
Lives and works in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Asier Mendizabal
Born in Ordizia, Spain, 1973
Lives and works in Bilbao, Spain

Haroon Mirza
Born in London, Great Britain, 1977
Lives and works in London and Sheffield, UK

Jean-Luc Mylayne
Born in France, 1946
Lives and works in the world

Shahryar Nashat
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, 1975
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Navid Nuur
Born in Tehran, Iran, 1976
Lives and works in The Hague, Holland

Roman Ondák
Born in Žilina, Slovakia, 1966
Lives and works in Bratislava, Slovakia

Nicolás Paris
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, 1977
Lives and works in Bogotá, Colombia

Philippe Parreno
Born in Oran, Algeria, 1964
Lives and works in Paris, France

Mai-Thu Perret
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, 1976
Lives and works in Geneva, Switzerland

Amalia Pica
Born in Neuquen, Argentina, 1978
Lives and works in London, UK

Giulia Piscitelli
Born in Naples, Italy, 1965
Lives and works in Naples, Italy

Sigmar Polke
Born in Oels (Olesnica), Silesia, 1941
Died in Cologne, Germany, 2010

Seth Price
Born in Jerusalem Est, Palestina, 1973
Lives and works in New York, USA

R.H. Quaytman
Born in Boston, USA, 1961
Lives and works in New York, USA

Nick Relph
Born in Great Britain, 1979
Lives and works in London, UK and New York, USA

Pipilotti Rist
Born in Grabs, Switzerland, 1962
Lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland

Marinella Senatore
Born in Cava dei Tirreni, Italy, 1977
Lives and works in Madrid, Spain and New York, USA

Cindy Sherman
Born in Glen Ridge, USA, 1954
Lives and works in New York, USA

Dayanita Singh
Born in New Delhi, 1961
Lives and works in New Delhi, India

Josh Smith
Born in Okinawa, Japan, 1976
Lives and works in New York, USA

Monika Sosnowska
Born in Ryki, Poland, 1972
Lives and works in Warsaw, Poland

Frances Stark
Born in Newport Beach, USA , 1967
Lives and works in Los Angeles, USA

Sturtevant
Born in Lakewood, USA, 1930
Lives and works in Paris, France

Anya Titova
Born in Sverdlovsk, Russia, 1984
Lives and works in Moscow, Russia

Rosemarie Trockel
Nata a Schwerte, Germany, 1952
Lives and works in Germany

Oscar Tuazon
Born in Seattle, USA, 1975
Lives and works in Paris, France

James Turrell
Born in Los Angeles, USA, 1943
Lives and works in Arizona, USA

Emily Wardill
Born in Great Britain, 1977
Lives and works in London, UK

Rebecca Warren
Born in London, Great Britain, 1965
Lives and works in London, UK

Corinne Wasmuht
Born in Dortmund, Germany, 1964
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Andro Wekua
Born in Sochumi, Georgia, 1977
Lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland and Berlin, Germany

Franz West
Born in Wien, Austria, 1947
Lives and works in Wien, Austria

Jeanne (Johanna) Natalie Wintsch
Born in Warsaw, Poland, 1871
Died in Lausanne, Switzerland, 1944

Christopher Wool
Born in Chicago, USA, 1955
Lives and works in New York and Texas, USA